


To Love or Die

by mithrilstarlight



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: F/M, Fuck Or Die, No Smut, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 19:04:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9456569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrilstarlight/pseuds/mithrilstarlight
Summary: Daenerys threatens the Stark family's survival. Willas has a plan to save them and Sansa is definitely going to like it.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SecondStarOnTheLeft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecondStarOnTheLeft/gifts).



> This is for Niamh because she is a terrible influence on me and I can't ever say no to her when it comes to writing for Sansa/Willas. Also sorry there's no smut? I'm really genuinely terrible at it and y'all don't want to see me try.

“I will not stand for disloyalty.” Danerys sat stiff-backed on the iron throne. Her steely gaze scanned the court.

It had been four moons since Queen Daenerys and her army swept through Westeros, reclaiming it in the name of the Targaryen family and crushing the threat of the Others. At the advice of her council, she was rooting out any who may still hold reservations about her rule. Representatives from the major houses all across Westeros stood before her. Those that were alive, at least. The Tyrell contingent, led by Olenna and Willas, stood towards the front. After their disastrous brush with Cersei Lannister’s madness, the Tyrells welcomed Daenerys with open arms and an army at the ready.

“Each family will be addressed in due time. But first, I have a score to settle.” She paused. “Bring forward Sansa Stark.”

Sansa froze as all eyes turned to look at her. She stood towards the back of the room with a small group of northerners. Arya and Rickon remained in Winterfell, neither skilled enough to navigate King’s Landing. Sansa was the sole representative of her family present.

The crowd parted slowly and she began to approach the throne. She glided up the center of the room, head held high. She and her family had suffered greatly at the hands of the previous regime. She wasn’t about to let the new one do the same. She stopped several paces in front of the steps and knelt.

“My queen,” she said in a manner too calm for the situation at hand.

“The Stark family played an integral role in the destruction of the Targaryen rule. Of all families who committed such great atrocities, yours is the sole survivor. I cannot allow you and your family to live,” Daenerys said, her voice as cold as the early spring air.

Gasps and mutterings rippled through the crowd. Sansa’s vision went blurry for a moment as she blinked back tears. She bit her tongue. Daenerys was merciless and her mind wouldn’t be changed.

“But-“ Daenerys continued, silencing the crowd. “If you can prove that you and your siblings are loyal to me and condemn the actions of your forbearers, then your lives may be spared. You may present your case tomorrow.”

The queen stood and dismissed the court. Whispers echoed through the hall as people trickled out. Sansa didn’t move from her place kneeling on the floor. Her mind was empty. She knew that there was no way to prove her loyalty to the queen. The Starks had been too busy surviving the previous queen to gather themselves in any way for Daenerys. The rest of the north had fought alongside her in the battle against eternal winter, and Bran had done his part, but nothing Sansa could say would change the facts. She, Arya, and Rickon would die.

 

* * *

 

Sansa sat in her solar and stared out the window with glazed-over eyes. She had knelt on the floor for nearly an hour, unable to stand from the weight of her impending execution.

She picked at her dinner. A knock at the door startled her and she jumped out of her chair. She smoothed the creases from her dress and tucked the loose red curls behind her ears. The door swung open to reveal Willas. He was caught somewhere between a grimace and a small smile.

“May I come in?” Sansa nodded, stepping back to let him pass. The silence was heavy and there was no doubt that he was as despondent about the situation as she was. They had grown friendly during their shared time in King’s Landing.

As the door clicked shut, she fell into his embrace. She wrapped her arms tightly around his chest and stifled a sob. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered.

“I know, Sansa. I know.” Willas pet her hair, gently kissing the top of her head. He had always been a bit affectionate with her. After a few minutes of silent comfort, he released her and stepped back. Bringing a hand to her cheek, he gently brushed away her tears with his thumb. “But, I think I have an idea.” A devious smile graced his face, reminiscent of the one Margaery wore so often.

“What?” Sansa leaned back, brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean you have an idea?”

Willas took her hand, leading her over to the table to sit. Once settled, he leaned forward and took her hands in his own. “Daenerys can be reasoned with.” Sansa scoffed. “I know you don’t believe me, but I think we can get you and your siblings out of this alive.”

Sansa paused in a moment of reflection. Inhaling deeply, she looked Willas dead in the eyes. “I’ll do anything.”

“I’m glad you’re committed,” he said with a chuckle. “If you get up there and present your story, she won’t listen. She won’t have pity just because you suffered at Cersei’s hands. Many people suffered, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the new queen’s supporters. You need to have value in her eyes.”

“This is all fine and well, Willas, but the problem is that I _don’t_ have any value to her.” Sansa sighed, pulling back.

Willas tightened his grip, holding her forward. “I didn’t say you had to have value to her. I said she just has to believe that you have value, period.”

Sansa frowned at his statement. “Go on,” she said hesitantly.

“If you can prove that you’re valuable to one of her most important allies, she won’t be able to kill you without alienating anyone. As it stands, the only people she’d alienate by killing the Stark family are some of the northerners. They’d be easy to handle. If she alienated the Tyrell family…”

“She’d lose everything,” Sansa finished. She was beginning to catch on.

“Sansa,” Willas began. He brushed his thumbs gently over her pale hands. The tender touch sent a pleasant tingle up her arms. “Once everything had settled, I was planning on courting you. When my grandmother originally told me of the plan to steal you away from here years ago, I couldn’t wait. Margaery had told me so many wonderful things about you and it broke my heart when it all fell apart.”

His admission was no surprise to Sansa. She had known of his fondness for her since the day they had finally met face to face. It was obvious to her and everyone around them how he felt about her. “This is all beautiful to hear, but simply telling Daenerys that we’re hoping to be wed won’t stop her. She’ll order you to wed some other girl and I’ll still be executed.” The pain of heartache grew in Sansa’s chest. She stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the glittering lights of the city.

Willas stepped up behind her, resting his hands on her waist. “Not if it’s already too late,” he said.

Turning in his grasp to face him, Sansa gaped. “We’re not going to be wed in secret tonight,” she snapped. Her tone softened as she continued. “As much as I would love to, it would only make her angry.”

“I’m not talking about a wedding, Sansa.”

There was a moment of silence as his words hung in the air between them. Her brow arched as she stepped back out of his grasp. “Are you serious?” She laughed at his proposition. “You must be drunk!” Brushing past him, she paced the room. “That’s almost worse than a secret wedding. Just because we’ve shared a bed doesn’t mean she’ll let me live. If anything, she’ll call me a whore and have me executed on the spot.”

Willas stopped her mid-pace, grasping her elbow. “Just hear me out,” he said. “Us sharing a bed is only part of it. It’s common knowledge that we’re friends. You spent months here and in the Eyrie privy to a lot of information. It would make sense that, as friends, you would have shared a lot of that with me and I would have in turn shared it with the queen. All we have to do is credit you with a key role, throw in that we’re sharing a bed and intend to be wed, and she’ll have no choice but to admit that you have both political value to her and personal value to me and my family. Killing you would be a terrible idea.”

Sansa thought it over. She held a lot of secrets, but she was by no means special in that respect. “So, you’re asking me to lie to the queen?”

“No, it’s not a lie, we’re just including you in my family’s involvement with Daenerys’s rise to power.” Willas didn’t sound like he believed himself.

“I mean about us sleeping together,” Sansa corrected. “If we do this, they’ll call in the Septas and poke and prod me. When Tyrion and I were granted a divorce, I had to prove that I was still a maiden. And that hasn’t changed, Willas. They’ll know.”

“Do you trust me?”

It was Willas’s turn to look Sansa dead in the eyes. His proposition was more than just words. She had said that she would do anything to save her siblings. And, after all, it was _Willas_.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Usually so slow and careful, Sansa was surprised by his lightning-fast movement as he stepped forward and planted a firm kiss on her lips. She inhaled deeply as she relaxed into him. He slid one hand behind her neck and one to her waist. It felt like a dream to finally have him.

 

* * *

 

Daenerys again sat tall on the throne as the court hushed in preparation for the trial. “Sansa Stark, you stand accused on behalf of your family for crimes committed against the Targaryens. Are you able to prove your loyalty, and fully divorce yourself and your siblings from the actions of your predecessors?”

Sansa swallowed deeply, her hands quivering slightly as she stood before the queen. It was now or never. “Yes, my queen.”

“You may proceed with your defense,” Daenerys said.

“I would like to begin by reminding the court of my personal imprisonment at the hands of the Lannister family,” Sansa began. "Many of those present today were witness to the atrocities committed by Cersei Lannister and Joffrey Baratheon. I had no love for them and, had it been in my power at the time, would have done anything to seek justice at the time. For myself and for the murder of my family.”

Daenerys appeared unimpressed, sitting as still as a statue.

Clearing her throat, Sansa continued. “In my time here with the Lannisters as well as in the Eryie under the care of Petyr Baelish, a Lannister supporter, I was privy to valuable information. Once liberated from Lord Baelish, I passed this information along to the Tyrell family.” She paused, turning around to look at Willas for a moment. “Specifically, I shared this information with Willas Tyrell.”

Daenerys held up her hand, silencing Sansa. There was a long pause. “Lord Tyrell, would you like to confirm this?”

Willas stepped forward, placing himself next to Sansa in front of the steps. “Yes, I would. After Sansa was brought back to King’s Landing at the end of the war, she and I grew close. Her information regarding the loyalties and activities of many families was the source of advice you eagerly took from me and my family.”

“The knowledge of one person, no matter how well-placed and attentive, does not change the direction of a kingdom. Were it not her, it would have been someone else who provided the information,” Daenerys said.

Sansa’s heart began to race. Her throat constricted as Daenerys stared her down. It was true. It was the very argument she had made to Willas last night and the fabrication was beginning to fail.

“I think you misunderstand my meaning of close, Queen Daenerys,” Willas said.

The queen smirked. “This is irrelevant-“

“She carries my child,” Willas interjected. The court went silent and Sansa cleared her throat to mask the momentary panic of his new lie. Willas placed a hand on Sansa's shoulder, gently squeezing it in reassurance. Tyrion caught Sansa’s eye, throwing her a wink and knowing smile.

“We will discuss this in private,” Daenerys finally said, shock on her face and in her voice. She rose, gliding out of the room and into one of the side chambers. Willas and Sansa took this as a cue to follow. Tyrion pulled up next to the two of them as they walked.

“I must say, Tyrell, you’re more brilliant than your grandmother gives you credit for,” he said. Glancing up at Willas, Tyrion laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m on your side. I spent much of last night arguing with the queen to not execute you, Sansa. It would be foolish.”

As they entered the side chamber, Sansa was immediately swept away by a pair of septas, leaving Willas, Tyrion, and Daenerys alone.

“You’ve made a rash decision, Tyrell,” Daenerys said. There was a tinge of anger in her voice.

“With all due respect, my queen, but you don’t know the first thing about the Stark siblings.” Willas was overstepping his boundaries, but proceeded to argue anyway. “You swept in here with your army and your dragons and reclaimed your throne, but you never stopped to actually get a grasp of what led to all of this. There’s a reason why you won so easily.”

“I won because I have an army twice the size of yours and three fully grown dragons, Lord Tyrell. Do not pretend to diminish my power,” Daenerys shot back.

Tyrion cleared his throat. “I think, what Willas means to say, is that Westeros was greatly fractured when you arrived. No cohesive force to oppose you existed and the tyranny of my family had gone on long enough to drive many families to turn on them and support you.” His voice was eerily calm in comparison to the other two. "Much of that is due to Sansa’s family. If anything, you should be lauding her and her family for starting the civil war and bringing the seven kingdoms to enough ruin that you barely lost a soldier in the battle for the throne.”

Daenerys sat down at the table, her jaw visibly clenched as she mulled over her Hand’s argument. Before she could respond, the door Sansa had disappeared through swung open again. All attention turned to her and the couple of septas that guided her back into the room.

“Well?” Daenerys asked.

“Sansa Stark is no maiden, your highness,” one of the septas said. Sansa looked over at Willas with a small smile and a gleam in her eye.

Daenerys sighed, waving her hand to dismiss the septas. “May I ask why a woman of Lady Stark’s station is with child by your actions, Lord Tyrell?”

Willas gaped for a moment, coming up with something to tell her. This time it was Sansa’s turn to cut in.

“Lord Tyrell has been courting me in secret for a few months. We were planning to be wed once your rule had been firmly established and everything had settled. It had never occurred to us that there might be something stopping us from eventually being wed, and so we felt no shame in sharing a bed in the meantime.” Sansa’s voice was firm as she defended her imaginary child.

Willas stepped forward, taking Sansa’s hand. “Lady Stark is of incredible political value to you, aside from our relations. And if that’s not enough, I guarantee that you will receive no gratitude from my family if you dispose of the Starks.”

Daenerys looked between the two of them, making her decision. Finally, she sighed and stood up. “You make a compelling case, Lord Tyrell. Lady Stark, in light of your apparent involvement in the downfall of the Lannister regime I grant you and your family pardon. I would also like to speak to you later in private regarding your position under my rule. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have the rest of Westeros to pass judgement on.” She brushed past the couple and walked out of the room, Tyrion following at her heels.

As the door shut behind the queen and and Hand, Sansa led Willas out of the room and into one of the back hallways. After a few paces, she stopped and kissed him deeply. “You’re really stupid,” she said as they pulled apart to breathe.

Willas leaned back in, kissing the spot right below her ear. “Hm?”

“You just said I was carrying your child and we both know I’m not,” she said, pulling out of the embrace.

“Well then I guess we’re going to have to make a baby,” he said. He took her by the hand and pulled her down the hall in search of her chambers. Daenerys would simply have to do without them in court for a while.


End file.
